peterboy

"Also, if you do not have any plans to enlarge photos larger than 5x7 or possibly 8x10 then a point and shoot may be perfect for you."

This is SO incorrect! I've printed
very nice 8" X 10" from a 2MP Sony FD97 and 11" X 17" from my DSC-F717.

I'm considering the Sony H5 and the Canon S3 although, if I can score enough $$ from the sale of an image to a large textbook publisher (taken with that old 2mp FD97 btw). Then I might just spring for a Nikon d200 woth the amazing 18-200 lens.

Anyone considering the H5 should read and digest this...

http://www.aakatz.com/whitepaper/

cary999

True, we have some nice 11x14 inch prints from the Canon S2. They look good, but do think they would look "better" if had been taken with a $3,000 DSLR
regards - tom

jenack

I have a Canon eos Rebel G regular film SLR camera from several years back which has been very reliable and takes nice pics during normal usage. I think my best bet for my upcoming safari would be to just add a lens to this camera, as I only have the original lens. I tend to shoot in auto mode, though I want to experiment a bit with manual aperature and shutter speeds. Where should I look to for makes and models and sizes of zooms that would be good for the safari and work with my rebel?
thanks

peterboy

Whether it would look better if taken with a DSLR would depend on how well the image was taken with that DSLR. Also one must consider the distance the print is being viewed from. If you get up close and use a magnifier then the prints produced from bigger files (and better lenses) will have greater detail.

If this is the defining criteria then we should all go back to film cameras since they still have the potential to produce the best prints (of course depending once again on how well the negative was created).

Of course one has to consider whether the image would have been created at all if the photog wasn't willing to drag all the heft of those high quality DSLR lenses on the safari and was willing to risk getting dust on their sensor but switching out the lens in the dusty real world.

I am having the same quandry...given unlimited funds, I'm sure I'd get the D200 but, I'd still want one of these "superzooms" around for the fun and convenience of it.

I can have 4 or 5 H5s for the cost of the d200 w/lens.

I'm also a "macroholic" and the digicams can't be beat for the ease and results in taht tiny world.

Movie mode...fun but it is at the bottom of my list.

Check out my results with the various Sony digicams I've owned from the FD-95 (which used floppy discs arghh), to my curret DSC-F717. The 717 is a great and innovative camera but is no super zoom and has no image stabilization which I miss greatly especially fo the macro work.

www.pbase.com/peterb

One of the Culebra "tank on the beach" shots has been published in Moon's Puerto Travel Guide. It was taken with the 717

http://www.moon.com/catalog2/puertorico.html

Camera choice is a very individual thing. Only you know your committment level. The most important thing is to learn your camera and what it can and can't do and work within that framework...amazing things can be done with some pretty basic cameras.

Photographers take pictures after all.
Cameras are the tools that allow them to do it.

Practice, practice, practice.

A better camera can't make you a better photographer.

cary999

Well, again, proves the old truth- "it depends"
regards - tom

eyelaser

There are a number of very good camera shops. BH Photo in NYC is probably the #1 choice for photographers. It is competitively priced and delivery times are very quick for in stock items.
They also have a used department which you can access on line. If you see something you want pick it up quickly as popular lenses go soon after they are posted. The website FredMiranda.com also has a buy/sell forum which you can access if you sign up (I think it doesn't cost anything just to sign up).
You might also ask on their wildlife forum about lenses and cameras. I am sure you will get more than you wanted to know re: digital SLR and digital P&S cameras. The same lenses that you can use on the film Rebel will also work on most Canon Digital SLR's so when you decide to make the plunge you will not have wasted your money. The one thing I would tell you having nothing to do with dig. cameras vs film quality is cost. The cost of buying 50-100 rolls of film and processing them will easily pay for a digital rebel with memory cards. If you are used to a rebel the new Canon dig rebel ought not to be too much of a learning curve, the biggest in my opinion being accurate white balance( but you can set it to auto and get acceptable photos or RAW and fix it in photoshop).
Other retailers include Adorama Photo (also has a used dpt.). This would be a second choice. Another is Canoga camera.
Good luck.
Eric

peterboy

jenack,

Here's some places to go for lens reviews

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/index.php?cat=45

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/re...n_lenses.shtml

jenack

You guys are the best.

Chris_GA_Atl

Another lens review site is www.the-digital-picture.com.

Chris

MiniApple

After reading all the threads that talked about cameras on safari's the thing that I found useful was to by a camera that you would be comfortable using. That said will you and/or your wife use the camera you are looking at? My wife said she would use a Sony H5 or Canon S3 but not a DSLR! That being said I decided after more reading and research to go with the Canon S3. It also uses the SD card the same as my Kodak, now a possible backup camera.

The next item to be updated will be our aging camcorder. I think we will go with the Canon Elura 100 for that do to its small size and mini DV tapes.

These are cameras that we will use more on daily basis or on trips then a DSLR would. Easy is alway good! usually...

cary999

Sounds great, smart decision. (Listening to your wife). Try the video mode on the S3, you may really like it. I'd be curious to know how it compares with your other video camera. I have very little video camera experience.
regards - tom

BYoung4u2

Some great advice and comments on DSLR vs PS...now does anyone have any thoughts/likes etc. concerning a good camcorder/similiar to take on safari?

eyelaser

While my eldest child loves Africa and wildlife my middle, who is a tekkie, can take it or leave it, so I have to entice him periodically (bribe) so that he will actually enjoy the experience. This last trip to the Mara, Kilimanjaro climb and Namibia "required" a new video recorder. He did a lot of research and came up with the Sony A1U high definition camcorder. It is not one that is talked about much even by sony but was small and rugged enough to take up the mountain. The quality of the images are incredible and comparing them to those we took in the past with regular video is like night and day. It is pricier than a regular camcorder but not out of sight. I believe there are some new high def. cameras out, Canon has one as does sony and am sure others as well that are not "professional" models and so are competitively priced. The downsides include more expensive minidv tapes, needing a high definition tv to play them on and the lack of ease transferring them to DVD. Having said that, watching the 5-10,000 wildebeest and zebras cross the Mara river and the crocs coming to get them in high def is surreal. There are so many quality video cameras out there that you could pick from any one of them and probably be ok. Again like dig. cameras it is features, ease of use and cost that will determine what to buy. When I saw the results from the sony however it was obvious how some of the nature shows can go into remote locations and do high def. recording. This is so small and the quality is remarkable. If one member of a group was going to be the dedicated videographer as my son was for us then an additional piece of equipment to get is a Porta Brace. It makes holding the camera steady much easier and is well worth the relatively inexpensive investment.
I think there are at least as many good choices for video as there are for dig. photography so there ought to be lots of good opinions on this forum. Mine is based on having had 3 different video cameras over a 6 year period including the Canon GL2 which is also great, has a 20X zoom but lacks the punch of HD.
Anyway just my $.02
Regards,
Eric

jenack

I have been looking at the canon eos rebel xt digital SLR camera. I have a lens that came with my film rebelX which should work fine on the digital, so I was thinking of just getting the body and a telephoto lens. Most places I know of offer the body for $450-$550. Then online there are a few places like
www.shopcartusa.com
www.expresscameras.com
www.bestpricecameras.com
that have it for around $250...what is the deal with these places? they cannot be for real, can they?

cary999

Be careful, quoting from a customer review (not me) --
"I was met on the phone by a fast-talking, slick tongued, salesperson identified as Scott on my invoice. He was working for Express Cameras at expresscameras.com. He is, in my opinion, nothing more than a huckster, a conman, and a real scumbag. To make a very long story short what I thought was going to be a very simple $399.00 purchase turned out to be $867.50 with an exorbitant $60.00 fee for shipping and handling, UPS ground."
from this reseller ratings www site -
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Express_Cameras
regards - tom

eyelaser

If it looks too good to be true it probably isn't.
Many of these places are scams. Stick to the known retailers, BH Photo, Adorama, 17th St. Photo, Canoga Camera. Don't know where you are but they all ship anywhere although internationally can be a bit more difficult but certainly doable. You will be sorry if you try to save a few bucks only to find out that the camera you got came without the accessories, had no battery (whoops thats $60 extra), no charger (another $50 bucks) etc. Again, I hang out mainly on a photographer's site so this is old hat with many, many, posts just like yours. There is even a site that rates retailers but I do not remember the specific one. You can even go to pricegrabber.com and type in the particular camera you want and it will give you 20 or 30 retailers with prices. Check the ratings, some have only been rated by a few people, others by thousands. Check shipping costs, some may have the camera for $500 but shipping is $99.00 as opposed to BH which might charge $579 with $15 shipping....not apples and apples. Buying a camera over the internet should be really, really simple...just don't be taken by prices that seem too good.
A little hint about BH Photo, if you plug in the code psjan* in the search dialog box on top you get "special" prices. Most of the time they are lower (but not always) than if you just enter the item in the search box. Shh don't tell anyone, this is our little secret
Regards,
Eric

jenack

Eric--that was very cool of you. I did some sampling on the online site and indeed found $15-$20 differences on the cameras.
In terms of telephoto lenses, do I stick to canon or are there acceptable less expensive alternatives. I really just take pics of the family, but do want to get more creative, but would not be blowing anything up very large or be doing any commercial work.

eyelaser

I like Canon lenses the best but there are perfectly acceptable alternatives. Tamron and Sigma make good lenses as well that are designed to fit Canon bodies. When ordering just make sure it says for Canon mounts as they also make them for Nikon, Pentax etc. The discussion of pro and cons for secondary lens manufacturers vs. primary ones can go on forever but unless you are super critical and photography is really important you will be more than happy (and save bucks) by going with one of the other lens manufacturers. For example a sigma 70-200 2.8 lens goes for about $500 while the comparable Canon one is $1000-1700 depending on whether you get an image stabilized model or not. The same goes for the wide angle zooms.
Some people even buy a used lens and then resell it after their trip. While you will probably get slightly less than you paid it will not be much less if you get a good one and it is still in good shape when you return. I, myself, have a problem parting with anything optical so I have more glass than I know what to do with.
Regards,
Eric

jenack

Any thoughts on buying a slightly used or demo model dig. camera if I am dealing with a reputable store?

eyelaser

I have done this myself and with a good company like BH photo particularly its is a great way to get good equipment for less. I usually stick to those rated 9 or better on their site. Demo's are also good and many still carry the manufacturer's warranty.
Eric